ENGLISH CURRICULUM INTENT

We aim to instil in our pupils a love of reading, the ability to talk and listen well and to write for pleasure and purpose. We recognise the importance of literacy skills and how these link with life outcomes and achievement. As teachers we present positive role models in our use of language, love of reading and our writing.

We aim to develop pupils’ abilities within an integrated programme of Speaking & Listening, Reading & Writing.  Pupils will be given opportunities to interrelate the requirements of English within a broad and balanced approach to the teaching of English across the curriculum, with opportunities to consolidate and reinforce taught literacy skills.

At Melbourne Junior School we aim for children to be able to:

• listen carefully and speak confidently in a wide range of contexts

• read and write with confidence, fluency and understanding, orchestrating a range of independent strategies to self-monitor and correct
• have an interest in books and read for enjoyment
• have an interest in words and their meanings; developing a growing vocabulary in spoken and written forms
• understand a range of text types and genres – be able to write in a variety of styles and forms appropriate to the situation
• be developing the powers of imagination, inventiveness and critical awareness.        

For more information see the pages below.

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

We have a range of enrichment activities that take place every year that celebrate all the different elements of English. 

The MJS Poetry Festival

Every year, in the Autumn Term, we hold the MJS Poetry Festival, which coincides with National Poetry Day and celebrates poetry and the spoken word in all its many forms.  The children read, write and perform many different kinds of poetry. It gives teachers and other members of the school community an opportunity to share their favourite poems too.

There are poetry slams and a poetry writing competition, that links to the theme of National Poetry Day. We may also have visits from poets who inspire us with their work and share writing tips with the children. The festival culminates in a special assembly, where each class performs a poem they have learnt off by heart.   

The BIG READ Event

The BIG READ Event takes place in March. It is a celebration of reading for pleasure that takes over the timetable!  Reading Relays, Book Trails, Record Breaking Readers, quizzes, flash mob reading, Lads 'n' Dads, Mums 'n' sons, Girls Get Reading days, Extreme Reading, Guess the Shelfie, visits and visitors, the list goes on. Our World Book Day celebrations also fall during this event. Junior Story Time is a special opportunity to read with our infant friends at MIS.

Each class studies a picture book throughout the event and takes part in a range of activities linked to it.

Writing Competitions

The children also take part in a local writing competition, sponsored by 

Rotex, and are actively encouraged to enter other national writing competitions. 

Author Visit - Cat Weatherill

Cat is a performance storyteller and author. She visited us for the day and ran a number of workshops.